Cycle Chic

Thankfully, the biker of today can solve the “what to wear when riding” problem in so many ways other than spandex and neon. Today’s urban commuter gets to choose from a variety of independent brands that are creating both comfortable and good-looking bike apparel. The kind of stuff you feel good about wearing whether you’re… Read more »

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Thankfully, the biker of today can solve the “what to wear when riding” problem in so many ways other than spandex and neon. Today’s urban commuter gets to choose from a variety of independent brands that are creating both comfortable and good-looking bike apparel. The kind of stuff you feel good about wearing whether you’re heading into a business meeting or the grocery store.

We love the unique spirit of today’s independent bike apparel brands. Take Betabrand’s Discolab line of sparkly reversible threads. It’s a party on one side and hipster-cool on the other. Or Chrome Industries’s super stylish sneakers, some are SPD optional but you’d never know it by looking. If you’re into high-tech, yet functional apparel, you can’t get much more slick than the offerings from Mission Workshop. And Levi’s has even come out with a Commuter Line of jeans with a “utility waistband” designed for holding a U-lock.

PUBLIC Bikes on Hayes St is exited to be to be the pop-up shop host this Saturday and Sunday (Aug 23-24) for Iladora, another spirited independent bike-wear brand focused on female bike fashion. Iladora takes wardrobe staples like a draped tops and the pencil skirt and reinterprets them in high-tech fabrics with cuts that are flexible enough for riding. The result is clothing that makes for comfortable bike riding and still looks sharp when worn at work.

In honor of the Iladora Pop-Up Shop at PUBLIC Bikes, for this weekend only Iladora is offering 20% off all Iladora Apparel to both in-store and online shoppers. Online shoppers use the promo code PublicBikesSummerLove. This special promotion for PUBLIC customers ends Sunday, August 24.

San Francisco is the birthplace of PUBLIC Bikes. We take a lot of inspiration from the cultural and social diversity of this city that continues to innovate and transform itself. It’s no surprise that San Francisco is also the birthplace of Burning Man, which has since become a worldwide cultural event celebrating art, music,… Read more »

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Bike Arch at Black Rock City. Image via Flickr from Fabrice Florin.

San Francisco is the birthplace of PUBLIC Bikes. We take a lot of inspiration from the cultural and social diversity of this city that continues to innovate and transform itself.

It’s no surprise that San Francisco is also the birthplace of Burning Man, which has since become a worldwide cultural event celebrating art, music, community, and creative self-expression.

Several PUBLIC employees are regular Burners. In fact, one of our regular bike builders has already left for the entire month to help prepare Black Rock City.

The focal point of Burning Man is the building of the temporary Black Rock City where 65,000+ participants are expected to gather in the Nevada desert. Burning Man takes place before Labor Day weekend, which means thousands of people from around the world, especially in the Bay Area, are preparing their camps and art projects in August in anticipation for the Burn.

One of the essential items to bring to Burning Man is your own “Playa Bike” or “Burner Bike.”

Big Burner Bike. Image by Mack Reed via Flickr.

Burner Bikes

People go to Burning Man for different reasons, but one of the best parts is to experience what it’s like to live in a city where the primary mode of transportation is by bicycle.

Black Rock City is essentially a bicycle paradise. The landscape is perfectly flat, spans for miles and motorized vehicular transportation in any form other than an art car is prohibited (with the exception of arriving and leaving Black Rock City).

Thus, two-wheeled transport is essential with the bicycle being the primary way to get around the city. Imagine living in a city of 65,000+ people where almost everyone moves by bicycle or foot. One of the best articles about this topic is “The Bike Culture of Black Rock City” by Matthew Roth.

And for many participants, the bicycle also becomes a vehicle of creative, artistic, and individual expression. We’ve rounded up a selection of fun, quirky, and inspiring art bikes in a Facebook album so check them out.

Creative Burner Bike. Image by Lara604 via Flicker.

Playa Bike Recommended Picks
If you’re heading to the desert later this August we’ve rounded up a few playa-perfect products that are sure to make your trip that much brighter, colorful and safe. We think our Disco Bell that offers an LED light show of red, yellow and green upon every ring is totally techno-ready. Our SpokLits come in either Disco or Green, effortlessly attach to the spokes of any bike, and create a LED light display upon revolution.

Bikes, like people, have personalities and at PUBLIC we love the idea of taking a bike and making it feel special. The same way earrings and shoes can make an outfit, bike accessories like bells and fenders add character and individuality to a set of wheels. Each of our new Special Edition models is outfitted… Read more »

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Bikes, like people, have personalities and at PUBLIC we love the idea of taking a bike and making it feel special. The same way earrings and shoes can make an outfit, bike accessories like bells and fenders add character and individuality to a set of wheels.

Each of our new Special Edition models is outfitted with individual touches like polished silver fenders and brass bells, handmade leather saddles and grips from Brooks of England. Built atop our durable, lightweight steel frames for a distinctive (and durable) ride. Starting at only $549.

Two years ago Amy got her first bike ever, a limited edition PUBLIC C7 step-through she named Peppermint Patty. After learning how to ride in San Francisco, Amy packed up her PUBLIC bike and PUBLIC Twin Pannier bags for a grand adventure riding and camping all over Europe with a friend, from the forests… Read more »

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Two years ago Amy got her first bike ever, a limited edition PUBLIC C7 step-through she named Peppermint Patty. After learning how to ride in San Francisco, Amy packed up her PUBLIC bike and PUBLIC Twin Pannier bags for a grand adventure riding and camping all over Europe with a friend, from the forests of Finland to fields of lavender in the French countryside. Everywhere she met helpful, friendly folks and turned plenty of heads with her free-spirited style. You can read all about her travels with Peppermint Patty on her blog, which is full of beautiful photography and helpful tips on how to plan your own bike adventures.

Bikes In The Woods / Photo Courtesy of Amy Wibowo

We love Amy’s story because she’s such an inspiration, showing how much fun anybody can have just by hopping on a bike and riding somewhere new. Although we didn’t have international bike touring in mind when we designed our PUBLIC C7 bike, we’re glad that its simple, relaxed style worked just as well for Amy when she was cruising around Europe as it does getting her across town in San Francisco.

We’re really excited to host a special event with Amy Wibowo at our new San Francisco flagship store in Hayes Valley, next Wednesday August 13. She’ll give a talk about how anybody can have an epic bike adventure without needing a bunch of fancy gear, and she even made a really cool zine full of bike travel tips (shown left). Meet Amy and get your own free copy of her zine at our event Wednesday night, details below.

WHAT: PUBLIC Talk: Amy Wibowo on Traveling with BicycleWHERE: PUBLIC Bikes, 549 Hayes Street (between Octavia and Laguna)WHEN: Wednesday, August 13 from 6pm-8pm

France has a lot of reasons to celebrate in July with the Tour de France cycling all over its countryside and Bastille Day marking the start of the French Revolution. We’ve got a French connection here at PUBLIC in the form of our PUBLIC M7i, our mixte bike. In French “mixte” implies “mixed gender” and… Read more »

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France has a lot of reasons to celebrate in July with the Tour de France cycling all over its countryside and Bastille Day marking the start of the French Revolution.

We’ve got a French connection here at PUBLIC in the form of our PUBLIC M7i, our mixte bike. In French “mixte” implies “mixed gender” and the mixte frame illustrates this perfectly by falling somewhere in between a step through bike and a diamond frame bike. The mixte has a French and European heritage that we’ve blogged about before, and has been a best selling bike for PUBLIC since we launched.

In the spirit of all things liberté, égalité and beautifully designed, we’re excited to announce the launch of our front cargo rack, the PUBLIC Porteur Front Rack.

Like the mixte, this elegant and functional rack has French roots, as the style was pioneered by french newspaper delivery couriers (like the gentleman above).

We designed our PUBLIC porteur-style rack for function and versatility as it’s simple to strap boxes and awkwardly shaped items to it that wouldn’t easily fit in a side bag or backpack. Add a crate atop the front rack and Fido can ride proudly with you, or it allows you to keep your eyes on your laptop bag or a six pack. This style of rack is popular amongst bike courier set because they look sharp and are seriously handy. But until now you could not find one with this capacity and quality at this price. Load yours up today at the special introductory price of $99 (list price $129).

We’ve been designing unique company bikes since the beginning of PUBLIC, and we take pride in these projects. Working with a client to customize color and design produces a product that’s an elegant fit for their brand and ours. Our first client was Hotel Healdsburg and since then we’ve been lucky enough to work with… Read more »

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We’ve been designing unique company bikes since the beginning of PUBLIC, and we take pride in these projects. Working with a client to customize color and design produces a product that’s an elegant fit for their brand and ours. Our first client was Hotel Healdsburg and since then we’ve been lucky enough to work with larger well known companies like Clif Bar and lululemon.

Check out our eclectic list of clients both big and small. Recent additions to the list include apartments like Lex on Orange and Nema SF who offer our customized bikes to their tenants, Indian Springs Resort, the Frisk winery and Mojo, a Clif Bar division. Our recent lululemon event was a total kick and a unique collaboration that benefits employees and their communities.

If you’re interested in partnering with PUBLIC for your business head here for more information or drop us a line via this inquiry form.

We know how summertime works–impromptu park picnics, serious backyard grill-offs and beach blanket afternoons that turn into ocean front sunsets. Summer is all about maximizing time outdoors and there’s no better way to increase vitamin D intake than by biking to all your fun-in-the-sun events. It’s an enjoyable and effortless thing to do when… Read more »

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We know how summertime works–impromptu park picnics, serious backyard grill-offs and beach blanket afternoons that turn into ocean front sunsets. Summer is all about maximizing time outdoors and there’s no better way to increase vitamin D intake than by biking to all your fun-in-the-sun events. It’s an enjoyable and effortless thing to do when you’ve got the right gear and we’ve made it simple by grouping our bike-related, picnic-perfect items together just for you. With our wicker picnic baskets that easily attach to our colorful spring clip rear racks, bike holders just for wine, and smile-inducing helmets like our watermelon or polka dot patterns, you’re ready to take to the great outdoors.

It’s Pride week in our home town. Along with cities such as Dublin, Barcelona and Istanbul, San Franciscans celebrate Pride throughout the month of June. The festivities in SF culminate with a huge parade with fantastic costumes, floats and some incredibly colorful and artistic customized bikes (and riders!), like the ones below. The streetsy, progressive,… Read more »

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It’s Pride week in our home town. Along with cities such as Dublin, Barcelona and Istanbul, San Franciscans celebrate Pride throughout the month of June. The festivities in SF culminate with a huge parade with fantastic costumes, floats and some incredibly colorful and artistic customized bikes (and riders!), like the ones below. The streetsy, progressive, public nature of this event and the celebration of diversity and community are near and dear to our heart.

If you’re local and want to “byke” in the SF PRIDE parade on June 29th, get all the details here where the San Francisco Bike Coalition lists its special programs.

We’re hosting a pooch photo shoot at our new Hayes Valley store, at 549 Hayes Street. If you have a dog and a bike, bring them over on Friday, June 20th from 5pm–7pm or Sunday, June 22nd from 10am-1pm. We’ll have a backdrop, a photographer and a prop bike (if you don’t bring your own) for you and “fido”… Read more »

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We’re hosting a pooch photo shoot at our new Hayes Valley store, at 549 Hayes Street. If you have a dog and a bike, bring them over on Friday, June 20th from 5pm–7pm or Sunday, June 22nd from 10am-1pm. We’ll have a backdrop, a photographer and a prop bike (if you don’t bring your own) for you and “fido” to pose with. We’ll send you home with a digital portrait or two, share the pictures out on our our social media platforms and feature them on the big screen in our Hayes Store.

We want to ensure that we have adequate pet treats and scheduling time, so please RSVP with your name, your pet’s name and the day and time you’ll be coming by. Local photographer Akshay Sawhney will be taking the photos and on Sunday we’ll even have Beverly Ulbrich, aka the Pooch Coach, helping to coax a smile out of your dogs. If you can’t make it, we’d still love to see your puppy pics so send them over via email to (rsvpATpublicbikes.com) or share them on facebook or instagram, tagging @publicbikes.

Yesterday the Bay Area celebrated the 20th Anniversary of Bike to Work Day with an impressive amount of bikers hitting the road. One major San Francisco thoroughfare tallied that nearly 76% of the trips made on it yesterday were done by bike. Well done, San Francisco! The month of May is National Bike Month and… Read more »

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Yesterday the Bay Area celebrated the 20th Anniversary of Bike to Work Day with an impressive amount of bikers hitting the road. One major San Francisco thoroughfare tallied that nearly 76% of the trips made on it yesterday were done by bike. Well done, San Francisco!

The month of May is National Bike Month and we’re happy to see so many people participating in Bike to Work Day. Of course, we think everyday should be Bike to Work Day for anyone who works less than 5 miles from home. In the Bay Area alone, more than one million Bay Area residents live within five miles of their workplace.

If you’re considering biking to daily as part of your commute, but not sure where to start, check out the San Francisco Bike Coalition for maps and tips and more. If you’re a bike-to-work regular or just getting into biking, drop us a line and let us know how your bike commute went yesterday

Imagine how less congested our streets would be and how much healthier and happier people would be if more people made the choice to bicycle, walk, or take public transit to work.

We’re lucky to live in San Francisco where bicycling is a mainstream activity and the majority of our local elected officials recognize the value of bicycling. This year, 9 out of 11 local elected Board of Supervisors, our Mayor, and our District Attorney all participated in Bike to Work Day with thousands of other residents. Bike to Work Day helps remind these elected officials to fully fund and prioritize initiatives like Connecting the City which creates safe and accessible bikeways for anyone from 8 to 80 years old.

We know cities can get more people to bicycle if they create separated bikeways like this new one on Polk Street near City Hall. It takes political will and funding to make these changes happen on our public streets.

We encourage you to find out more about your local Bike to Work Day activities – and support your local and statewide bicycle advocacy organizations working to make bicycling better for all of us.